Gang Starr: Step in the Arena 2LP Vinyl

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Why you'll love it

This 2LP set gives Step in the Arena four sides of 180g vinyl, pressed in the EU. IGN named it the greatest hip-hop album of all time in 2007, and it sits in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

This edition

2LP set
180g vinyl
Pressed in the EU

About the album

Every great double act needs a straight man and a wizard, and Gang Starr had both in one package. Guru brought the calm, unhurried voice of reason; DJ Premier brought the scratches, the jazz loops and the drums that knock. On their second album the two stopped sounding like a promising duo and started sounding like the blueprint.

"Just To Get A Rep" is a gripping street tale over a dark, tense loop, "Step In The Arena" lays down the challenge, and "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?" carries real heft (Premier later remixed it for Grand Theft Auto IV). "Form Of Intellect," "Check The Technique" and "Execution Of A Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)" show Guru at his sharpest, and Premier's chopping on "Love Sick" is a masterclass.

The Source put it on its 100 Best Albums list in 1998, and HipHopDX called it the record that cemented Gang Starr as a timeless tag team. Producers have been studying Premier's drum programming ever since, and most of them are still taking notes.

Also at Kops: more Gang Starr on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Side A
1. Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)
2. Step In The Arena
3. Form Of Intellect
4. Execution Of A Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)
5. Who's Gonna Take The Weight?

Side B
1. Beyond Comprehension
2. Check The Technique
3. Love Sick
4. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
5. Game Plan

Side C
1. Take A Rest
2. What You Want This Time?
3. Street Ministry
4. Just To Get A Rep
5. Say Your Prayers

Side D
1. As I Read My S-A
2. Precisely The Right Rhymes
3. The Meaning Of The Name
4. Credit Is Due
5. Check The Technique (Remix)